Perceptions of Risk to HIV Infection among Adolescents in Uganda: Are They Related to Sexual Behaviour?

Abstract

Uganda has been hailed as a success story in the fight against HIV that has seen a reversal in prevalence from a peak of 15% in 1991 to about 6.5% currently Since 1992, the largest and most consistent declines in HIV have occurred among the 15-19-year-olds. While many studies have examined how key behavior changes (Abstinence, Be faithful and Condom use) have contributed to the decline in HIV prevalence, few have studied the relationship between sexual behaviors and risk perception. Using data from the 2004 National Survey of Adolescents, multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to examine the strength of the association between risky sexual behavior and perceived risk among 12-19-year-old adolescents in Uganda. After controlling for other correlates of sexual behavior such as age, education, residence, region and marital status, the findings indicate highly significant positive association between perceived risk and risky sexual behavior among males but not females. The findings reveal that, regardless of their current sexual behavior, most female adolescents in Uganda feel at great risk of HIV infection. The findings also show that adolescents with broken marriages are much more vulnerable to high risk sexual behaviors than other categories of adolescents. These results further emphasize the need for a holistic approach in addressing the social, economic and contextual factors that continue to put many adolescents at risk of HIV infection.

Perceived Risk of HIV Infection and Associated Factors among Secondary School Students in Wakiso District, Uganda

“…In this study we found that almost half of the students interviewed perceived themselves to be at risk of contracting HIV. Our findings are slightly lower than earlier findings from Kibombo and colleagues who report that among adolescents aged 15-19 years, 72% of the females compared to 55% perceived themselves as being at risk of contracting HIV [6]. The discrepancy between our findings and those reported by Kibombo and colleagues may be explained in several ways.…”

“…This behavior raises a suspicion within the individual of a possibility of having been exposed to HIV. Kibombo and colleagues found a highly significant association between perceived risk of contracting HIV and sexual behaviors of male adolescents lending support to the above assertion [6]. In regard to the finding that those who had ever taken an HIV test were more likely to perceive themselves to be at risk of contracting HIV, this should not be surprising because the fear of having been exposed might have been the motive behind seeking testing services.…”

“…The sample size was estimated using the formula = 2 / 2 , where was the required sample size and is the value corresponding to 95% confidence level and was taken to be 1.96. The proportion of adolescents who perceive themselves to be at risk of HIV infection in Uganda was estimated to be 55% [6]; is equivalent to 1 − which is 0.45. The degree of error ( ) the researchers were willing to allow was 5%.…”

“…Specifically among Ugandan adolescents and young people, very few studies have been conducted in regard to HIV risk perception [5]. Kibombo and colleagues analyzed data from a 2004 national adolescent survey and found that most female adolescents feel at risk of HIV infection [6]. Efforts to address the challenge of HIV among young people should be based on a good understanding of HIV risk perception in this age group.…”

“You Still Need to Give Her a Token of Appreciation”: The Meaning of the Exchange of Money in the Sexual Relationships of Out-of-School Adolescents in Rural Southwest Uganda

“…(Mair, 1934) Although not entirely powerless within relationships, most authors agree that once the brideprice or monies and gifts are exchanged in adult relationships, women lose much of their power to control their sexual and reproductive life to their husbands, and in relationships with men more generally (Blanc, 2001;Blanc & Wolff, 2001;Mantell et al, 2006;Miles, 1993;Nyanzi, Nyanzi, Wolff, & Whitworth, 2005;Rao Gupta, 2000;Wolff, Blanc, & Gage, 2000;Wolff, Blanc, & SsekamatteSsebuliba, 2000). This power differential between men and women is cited as the fundamental cause of women's disproportional burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) relative to men in this region (Kibombo, Neema, & Ahmed, 2007;Rao Gupta, 2002).…”